The process for developing film and particularly black and white film is an art which has had many goals or requirements. Sometimes these goals are, or tend to be, mutually exclusive, such that improvement in one area tends to substantially adversely affect another area. For example, speed of development of the film, when taken as a prime goal, can detract from the quality of the negative to sometimes destroy the utility of the entire photograph.
Many ingredients have been tried in the developing process, with varying results being achieved, many times depending upon the specific ingredients being used in association with other particular ingredients. Among the developing agents which have been found to be most successful are the well-known hydroquinone and the monomethyl-p-aminophenol sulphates known as Elon and Metol.
Interest in rapid development of film is of course not new. One useful and informative description of efforts toward improving the speed of developing films is presented in the PSA Journal, Vol. 15, February 1949, in an article by J. I. Crabtree. Further work by that author and others is disclosed in the Journal of Photographic Science, Vol. 2, 1954, on pps. 7 through 14. In addition, prior art patents disclose various ingredients useful in the developing process of black and white film. Representative of these patents are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,315,966, 3,033,682, 3,230,089 and Australian Pat. No. 216,517.
In spite of the many advances in the art of developing film, search still continues for increased speed in film developing without simultaneous loss of quality. Accordingly, it is the object of the invention to provide a rapid developing solution for use with black and white film. Another object of this invention is to provide a developer solution which has a very useful shelf life and which permits development of the film without adverse effects on the quality of the negatives being produced. Other objects will appear hereinafter.